Time Saving Tips for Busy Women

November 22, 2016

Us working women are busy! Nailed at Work is a business founded on the necessity for service-solutions to save time, so we get it and are here to help with more than just your nails. We’ve compiled the top ten tips to save you as much of the most precious thing there is in life; time. So you can start to feel productive, not busy.

Schedule Emails. Tools like Boomerang for Gmail allow you to write an email and schedule when it is to be sent. So instead of writing it on your to-do list (“Email boss next Thursday for catch up on campaign performance” or “Email Maddie on Tuesday for her bday”) you can do it right now, and it’ll be sent later. Time saved – 5 minutes (the time it takes to write down things in your to-do list to do later)

Treat Life Admin like a Chess Game – Apply the chess ‘touch-move’ rule to life admin. In chess if you touch a piece, you have to move it. Well, when a life admin tasks comes up, do it. Especially when it only take a few minutes to do. I.E. A bill comes in, pay it/ you get a wedding invitation, RSVP & buy something off their gift registry the same day. Otherwise it all builds up, things get forgotten & to-do lists become over-whelming. Time Saved = 5 mins a day PLUS alleviates the stress of randomly remembering ‘Oh crap I forgot to…’ at times when you can’t possibly do it!

Multitask the RIGHT way – Doing too much at once can create a jack of all trades master of none approach to tasks, but multi-tasking without splitting focus is key & integral in time-saving; I.E. Get a manicure in your lunch hour to your workplace 😉 / listen to audiobooks & podcasts on the way to work so you never ‘don’t have time to read’ / Have a three-for-one cooking philosophy whenever you’re in the kitchen; one for now, one for lunch tomorrow lunch, one for the freezer (same meal, three occasions) / exercise with girlfriends so you catch up but also fit your workout in. The wrong way is to split focus – I.E. Emailing while in a meeting/ replying to text messages while visiting Grandma. Time Saved – (Specifically by getting a 30min mani in your lunch break come to you rather than battle a salon?) Easily 40 minutes.

Keep your Inbox Clear. It’s an oldie but a goodie… and also a challenge. No sooner is it empty it fills up quicker than you can skull your morning coffee. However, having a clean inbox means productivity is higher, so schedule in specific time to read, action & file emails throughout the day so there is a level of structure and it’s not just a constant interruption. I.E. Every o’clock & half-past spend 5 minutes reading & sorting emails. Nothing is so urgent it can’t wait 25 minutes, and if it is- they’ll call! Time saved – 10 minutes PLUS productivity is increased.

Be a Monk – to maximise productivity, monks will set a timer to 30minutes and devote themselves tirelessly to one task in a monestry. Do this. Cut out distraction. Turn OFF emails, put your phone on airplane mode, tell co-workers you’re ‘going under’ you’ll be amazed how much you can achieve when you’re entirely devoted to one task. This technique can cut task time down by 30%

Dedicate 20mins of Today to Tomorrow – Just before bed, you know how we’re supposed to stop all screen time but it rarely happens? Well two birds, one stone. Spend 20mins getting ready for tomorrow morning; Prep breaky- chop fruit for a smoothie / make bircher muesli / throw together a chia pot/ boil some eggs; Get your outfit ready, iron the right shirt/ find the matching skirt; Lay out your exercise clothes; Look at your schedule and figure out what time you need to leave the house to get where. You’ll be doing the right thing of no-screen-time-before-bed PLUS take the stress out of tomorrow (also to be filed under; Multi-tasking the right way!) Win, win. Time saved – 10 minutes (20 minutes today = 30 minutes when you’re tired, rushing & stressed in the morning!)

Minimise Choice – So much time and energy can be wasted making mundane decisions each day. Scrap the choice. For example; Have a “capsule wardrobe”or a ‘uniform’; Monday = shirt and pants / Tuesday = skirt & blouse / Wednesday = dress. It will take the hassle out of morning wardrobe rage (or if you’re doing Number 6, the night before 😉 ) by minimising choice and devise 2 work lunch options that are accessible and tasty and simply alternate between the two. Time saved = 15mins of deliberation a day. Not to mention the tantrums and hangry bad decisions.

Use Reminders – You can set reminders when you leave / arrive at locations on your iPhone’s Reminders App. Use them to never forget a thing. Set it for when you leave a location (i.e. work) so it sends you a reminder (i.e. “pick up dry cleaning on the way home”) Time saved – 10 mins a day and not-forgetting a thing!

Pre-Order your coffee – don’t hang around the coffee counter waiting for your morning latte to be made with 40 other people, order in advance via apps! Check with your local barista which app they’re aligned with but there are loads; 365 Cups, Skip, Cups and they can take your payment too via CC so you can just swing by, collect your coffee and keep walking! Time saved – 4 mins a day

Avoid the Social Media Vortex – allocate specific time to check social media throughout your day. I.e. when you’re having lunch / waiting for the bus / after breaky … because it is too easy to find yourself clicking on it 100 times a day. On average we spend nearly 1 hour each day on social media . Eeek! But you don’t notice because it’s 2 mins here, 4 mins there… the reality being it is a time-vortex which ‘aint nobody got time for. Limit the browsing to twice a day & pop the apps on a separate page/ screen on your phone so you’re not tempted! Time saved – 30 mins per day (based on the truth that by checking twice a day you’ll only spend 15-20 mins in one block browsing & liking & commenting!)

Follow these steps and you’ll be saving over an hour in any given day in no time. More time for … getting more done!

Nails Full Stop

April 9, 2016

That they are! And thankfully long gone are the days of having to match your nail polish hue to match your outfit exactly. A contrasting nail colour can look seriously bo$$. Here are a few images for your inspo board which show the power of a fabulously manicured nail and how they complete the look.

Top 5 hand creams for winter

June 28, 2016

Winter is lovely for so may things; Roast dinners and red wine, big coats and boots, hot chocolates snd marshmallows. But it’s also not so lovely for some things; not being summer, no beach days, and especially your skin. It’s so dry! Like, all the time. And because the only skin we show during winter is our face and of course our hands, making sure they’re well moisturised will keep the ensure the only crackling you encounter is with your roast pork. To keep those hands their delicious summer selves, we have put together the Top Five Hand Creams for winter.

For the nourishment. We love it when a spade is called a spade. Getting nailed at work? Get Nailed at Work. Say. It. How. It. Is. Always. Which is why we’re loving this Soap & Glory ‘Hand Food’ because it is exactly that. It’s lightweight and lovely and smells so uniquely yummy, and incredibly nourishing. Lather it on before bed and you’ll wake up with the most delightfully hydrated hands in the morning. Magic.

For the smell. Because whilst there are so many lovely things about winter, it is pretty hard not to spend a few days here & there dreaming of summer. This is why we love this hand cream, if summer was a hand cream it would be this one. Well, a summer afternoon drinking a Pina Colada to be exact. It is also non-greasy and absorbs very quickly, the only problem with this one is it will take a lot of will-power not to eat it.

For the nostalgia, naturally. This beauty comes in Rose scented & Lemon scented and both will remind you of summer afternoons spent at your Grandma’s house. Its 98.3% natural, and made from lanolin. Which is the softest thing ever. Probably. It leaves your hands feeling super moisturised and you just warm and fuzzy all around. Oh and the packaging will make you want to get all folksy and spend the afternoon crocheting and drinking tea. Win, win.

For the price of a coffee (and nearly as addictive.). This super thick-and-creamy-but-not-at-all-greasy hand cream is such a winner won’t break the bank. Incredibly moisturising you’re hands will be left thinking winter never came, plus it is found in supermarkets Australia-wide so easy to get, cheap and incredibly effective… who could say no to that?

For the indulgence. This earthy scented, gorgeously packaged hand cream is the perfect lightweight cream for your handbag and will have you feeling like everyday is special. Which it is. It’s whipped cream texture moisturises wonderfully and the scent, oh the scent! We tip our cap to you if you can stop at just your hands for this one.

Whichever you choose make sure you’re using it morning, noon and night and protect those paws of yours against this Ice-Queen that is winter and remember- all of them work far better with perfectly polished claws. xx

The Autumn Edit

April 8, 2016

The crisp fresh mornings. The darker evenings. The bright blue skies. The long sleeve tops. The falling leaves. The resurgence of wool. The availability of parking at the beach. The upsize your morning coffee. The increased consumption of Netflix. The Easter Eggs, oh the Easter Eggs.

IT. IS. AUTUMN.

And autumn calls for longer nails, a cosy colour pallet and extra moisturiser as we wave goodbye to the vibrancy of summer. This autumn we are loving nails coated in light greys, deep maroons, placid nudes and a few hues in between.